The present invention relates to a device for separating gas and liquid or solid particles from a gas/liquid/solid particle mixture flowing in a line and a method for separating the same.
A device and method for separating gas and liquid from a gas/liquid mixture flowing in a line are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,858. This device, however, necessarily includes two outlet openings.
In process engineering in general and in automotive engineering, e.g., in the case of rainwater in the intake connection piece of the air filter housing, and in other technical fields of application, the problem frequently occurs that liquids are mixed with gases or vapors and they must be separated. Depending on the application, the problems caused by liquids include corrosion, malfunctions and possibly the destruction of equipment.
During the operation of a measuring device having a measuring element to determine parameters of a test medium flowing in a channel, for example, an intake connection piece of an internal combustion engine, it may occur that air, oil droplets or oil vapor from a line such as, for example, a crankcase vent line, or other foreign particles flow into the channel against the main direction of flow of the test medium contaminating the measuring element by the oil or the foreign particles. As a result, the measuring characteristics of the measuring element can noticeably deteriorate.
Reasons for the backflow include, for example, pulsating flows or a pressure relief of a crankcase housing in the shutdown phase of an internal combustion engine. Oil vapor or oil mist is introduced into to the intake connection piece from the crankcase housing via the crankcase vent line.
Otherwise, the air flowing in the intake connection piece to the internal combustion engine prevents oil particles or foreign particles from reaching the measuring element.
The device and method according to the present invention has the advantage that liquid and/or solid particles may be separated from a flowing gas/liquid/solid particle mixture in a simple manner.
It is advantageous if the valve is a spring valve since this is a very simple and cost-effective valve.
It is additionally advantageous if the valve is situated in the area of an inlet opening of the line into the channel because, as a result, the separation area of the valve may be situated on the line.
It is advantageous in particular if the valve opens only when the pressure ratio or the pressure difference between an upstream area and a downstream area of the line is correspondingly great because this prevents contamination from spreading in the downstream area of the line.
The line may be designed in such a way that the medium flowing in the line is deflected by approximately 180xc2x0 at least twice, as a result of which the contaminants, in particular oil or liquids, form a wall film or large drops on an inside wall of the line and thus do not so easily continue to flow along with the flowing medium downstream of a deflecting element.
Solid particles also accumulate on the inside wall and form a mixture with the liquid in the wall film, as a result of which the solid particles with the liquid are separated from the flowing medium.
The flowing medium may be deflected in an advantageous manner in that the deflecting element is in the shape of a plate and is larger in cross-section than a ring having a smaller cross-section than the line in the area of the deflecting element.
The deflecting element may advantageously be a valve plate of a valve.
The line may be connected in an advantageous manner with a channel in which a measuring element is situated to protect the measuring element against contamination even if undesirable contaminants flow from the line into the channel.
It is also advantageous to design the line as a Laval nozzle in the area of an inlet opening into the channel since this accelerates the flow in the channel at that point and foreign particles are more strongly led away from the measuring element.
Moreover, it is advantageous to arrange the line in the area of the inlet opening obliquely to the channel since in this manner the medium is specifically guided out of the channel away from the measuring element.